Amazing Grace
by wildanimal1
Summary: Talia Grace was blinded and muted at the age of 13. She was kidnapped and tortured by a psychopath but it was too late. Now at the age of 22, and flu reaping havoc, she goes into the woods to fix the dam to generate power for the surviving human city. Out in the woods she meets an ape who is scarred like she is and who hates humans, and she can't blame him, she hates them too.
1. Author Note

This is going to be a new story of mine. I'm going to make it a Koba love story. It will be kinda based around Dawn and when Malcolm and his family go o fix the dam. Its going to be a kinda unconventional oc for ne so bear with me if I have to go back and fix things.

Thanks for reading!


	2. Prologue

"See you later Talia!" Jason yells as we part ways on the street corner.

"Bye Jas!" I yell back, grinning as he shoots me a playful glare.

We look away and I walk down the side walk to my house. It wasn't a long walk to me anymore seeing as I've walked this route from school since I started middle school. It shouldn't have been any different and I didn't expect it to.

I smiled as my house came into view, it was a modest two bedroom to and a half bath. From what I could see my parents weren't home and the lights were out. Like always.

I stopped and stood there for five minutes, debating if I should turn around and walk to Jas's house. In that time I didn't notice a red truck pull up next to me. The next thing I know in being grabbed and tape stuck around my mouth. I hear a muffled scream and realize its from me. I'm throwan at and upward angle into the back of the four door truck.

Im shoved down into the floor board and I can feel myself shaking and tears running down my face. I look to see a mass of brown hair.

I start crying harder and the guy throws his hand back and hits me in the head. I cower down into a fetal position and put my face in my knees.

After awhile, a really long while, the truck stops and I hear a door open and slam shut. I hear the door by me open and foot is grabbed. I give a muffled shout and fall to the ground. I look at him as he grabs my hand and drags me into a tilted brown house surrounded by trees.

As soon as we were in the house he lets me go and I scramble to get away from him. I hear locks turn as the door is shut and I get into what looks like the kitchen. There's no where to hide and no windows to break bad run.

I duck under the table and wrap myself around one if the legs. I start to cry again as I hear feet coming down the hallway.

As soon as he spots me he grins and moves to grab me again. I struggle to get away and he just lifts me like I weight nothing and goes down a hallway and into another windowless room.

He sets me down and says, "Ill let you get some rest but tomorrow we're getting shit done."

With that he shuts the door and Im left alone to here locks moving on the outside. I rip the tape off my mouth and look around the room. I knew nobody would here me if I started screaming and I didn't want to piss the guy off.

I looked to the corner if the room and curled into a balk with my body facing the door. I closed my eyes, knowing it was going to be a long, long while.

°°°°°°°°°°Time Pass to Morning°°°°°°°°°

I wake up to the locks unsliding and I sit up quickly. He walks in and looks at me with a bright smile, "Lets get some food in you and get ready for the say!"

He was way too chipper for it to be normal. _Maybe he's crazy, wait of course he's crazy, he **kidnapped** you._

I get up, and slowly follow him, he didn't grab me this time and I see him set out two plates with bowls of different foods.

I hurriedly sit before he tells me, wanting to please him before I irritate him.

He grins and sits across from me, I get a close look at him for the first time, being to scared before to even look at him. He had ear length brown hair and hazel colored eyes. Freckles spread across his nose and with him grinning I could see dimples.

At that point I didn't know his would be the last face I saw.

"Eat up! There's scrambled eggs, I didn't know how you liked them so I just when with the easiest. Oh, and fruit salad along with sausage bits," he looks proud as he says this.

I grab the fruit first and put it onto the plate the sausage. I let him get his eggs first and then put some on my plate. I eat slowly and watch him to see any signs of agitation but i see none..

When we finish he collects our plates and the other dishes into the sink.

"Well follow me," he says, going down another hallway. I stand quickly and try to keep up with the fast pace that he has set. We pass several doors until we reach a newly painted white one with a red cross symbol on it.

I would soon come to hate this door and the meaning behind it.

We go in and I see that it looked Luke a surgical room. With shiny metal objects and the surgery table. I unconsciously start to tremble, knowing nothing good was going to come of this.

He grabs a white gown and says, "Slip this over your clothes while I get everything set up."

I do as he tells me, glad that I don't have to strip completely or really at all. The gown was plastic-y and made crinkly sounds when I move. He gestured towards the table and I was hesitant to go over towards it but his happy face was slowly melting and I hurried over and jumped up onto it.

He puts a blood pressure cuff and and takes my temperature and listens to my heart and so on and so on. After awhile he seems back to happy with what he finds, "This is great! You'll be the perfect teat subject!"

My heart feels like it stopped and restarted all in the same second. Then it felt like it was going to beat out of my chest.

He pushes back on my shoulders and lays me back on the cool table and hooks straps around my wrists and ankles. I watch as he goes over to a draw and pulls out a few needles and some vials of clear liquid. He puts the liquids into the needle and walks back over to me.

"Im going to put the sedative into your blood stream and then start the surgery. Its a simple procedure of removing a voice box and then we'll be all done!"

I look at him in alarm, "Please, pl-please don't do this. I won't say anything. I promise. I-I won't even talk, n-not a peep will be-be heard from me."

He wipes an alcohol pad on my arm and shrugs, "Well, it needs to be done." He puts the needle up to my skin and injects the liquid into me.

He starts talking about the steps of the procedure and the risks, complications, excetera excetera. I slowly loose focus until Im completely out.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°Time Skip ta Year and A Half Later°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

It had been awhile since he had taken my voice and since then has taught me sign language. He treated me like a prize. Making sure I had food and water and clean clothes. He didn't let me do any of the chores and disnt let me cook.

He had me do absolutely do nothing.

Today seemed different though. He seems to be in a giddy mood. I soon found out why as he ushered me to red cross room again and I internally panicked. I didn't want to go in there but he had me put on a white plastic gown again and had me strapped to the table.

I was in a fog as he got the needles out and the clear liquid vials. He explains what he's doing but its like cotton was inside my ears. He injected the needle into my arm and I slowly went under into darkness again. But this is one i would never stop seeing.

°°°°°°°°°°°°Time Skip Twelve Hours Later°°°°°°°°°°°°

As I came to in what I knew to be my bed I realized that no matter how much I blinked my eyes the black dot want going away.

I couldn't talk and now I couldn't see.

I cried hoping it was a nightmare and shook myself. I did the stereotypical pinch and silent yelped when it hurt.

The door opened and the bed dipped as he sat next to me, "Your up, good. Im going to teach you how to use your other senses to move around. After awhile all this will feel natural."

I only cried harder at his words. I wish I was still walking down the side walk from school with Jason. Going home to the lights off and making my own dinner and trying to wait up for my parents but giving up at 10:30.

But I was stuck here with a psychopath and it made me lonely.

I heard him start talking about some new flu and I start to tune into what he's saying.

"Some guy with the last name Roman started a new out break of Simian Flu, that's what its called. We should be safe out here in the woods away from the main population. But ill he into town and pick up extra supplies and stuff," he says, he continues but I zone him out.

I just want normal for once in my life.


	3. Chapter 1

8 Years Later

* * *

 **Talia's POV**

Its been eight years since I first heard about the Simian Flu outbreak. Six years since _He_ didn't come back to the house. Five years since Alexander found me wandering down the road.

I won't forget that day and how a complete stranger, that everyone around the colony says is quiet, took me home to his dad and then we were basically family. Alex and I have become close, closer than a lot of real siblings and he even learned basic sign language to at least understand me. When we are alone together he talks about things, ideas, that can actually be better for the colony.

But he never steps up at meetings and I can't talk so there goes the idea of me stepping up for him.

Malcolm is in a meeting with Dreyfus about energy sources, because ours was running out. The energy that's left is being rationed but Alex and I know that it can only last for so long.

Right now Alex is leading me through a metal jungle, at least, from what I can tell is that it's metal.

"Step half a foot left!" he calls. I do as he says and start falling as I trip over something. I make a low grunting noise as I hit the ground and glare in his direction as he laughs.

I flip him off and stand and brush myself off.

"Oops, I meant the other left," Alex says, "But hey, we are almost home. Dad's probably back from the Dreyfus meeting."

I reach my hand out and his warm one grabs my small hand, "Alright, just a couple more blocks and then we're home free."

* * *

With him leading me it doesn't even take 15 minutes to reach the building and Malcolm is, in fact, home.

"Finally! I have important news," Malcolm say as he sees us, "Sit at the table so that we can eat and talk. Also, don't roll your eyes Talia, I know that your mute but Alex can talk for you."

I roll my eyes again, as if Alex will do any talking. Alex smacks my arm and I shoot a look in his direction. Alex leads me to a chair and as soon as I sit he sits beside me.

"Talia, honey, there's bread 12 o'clock of you and then the mystery vegetable is in a bowl to your 10 o'clock," Ellie says as I hear her voice across from me. I reach out as directed and get a piece of bread and then reach for the spoon to the vegetable bowl. It takes a few seconds for me to find it and as soon as I do I take a scoop and then pass it on. I nod towards Ellie to thank her and wait until I feel like everyone else has their food before I begin to eat.

After a few minutes Malcolm speaks up, "So, Dreyfus and I have come up with a plan for a new energy source. It's going to require us to go on a little trip but I think we all can handle it."

I look towards Alex and sign for him to tell Malcolm to get it over with and not leave us in suspense. He doesn't repeat what I signed but he does chuckle.

"There's a dam that was used for energy before the outbreak. But it shutdown for some reason and Dreyfus and I believe that it can be fixed. Since Dreyfus is in charge of the colony he is staying here while I and a few others go out to find the dam and then fix it," he finishes.

I look in Alex's direction and sign, _So your going to take us with you?_ He repeats what I sign and Malcolm says yes.

I sign again, _I'm blind and don't have a voice box. I can't see and if I get lost I can't scream for help. How is any of this a good idea?_

"Well Ellie has already agreed to come with me and I think Alex wouldn't mind going, so if you stay here there is nobody to take care of you. So you in?" I can already tell that Malcolm is grinning. I'm like the daughter he never had and Alex doesn't listen to him often. He likes to think he outsmarted me.

 _I'll only go if and only if Alexander goes,_ I sign.

Its silent for a few minutes and then I hear a sigh beside me, "Fine I'll go."

* * *

After we clean up the table and Alex and I do the little dishes we head upstairs to our shared room, it was safer for us to do it this way and if i need something, like a little brother to cuddle, then I'll have one nearby.

As soon as the door closes he starts talking, "Sis im so sorry. Dad was just giving me the sad puppy look and I couldn't disappoint him again. It's like I'm the kid he never wanted and I don't know what to do so I just agreed. I'll just go tell him no, it's too dangerous and you were right, what if you get lost? We'll never be able to find you-"

I cut him off by slapping his arm, _Hey, we can get through this together. And besides I didn't plan on leaving your side. Nobody else has the patience to guide me. Malcolm loves you and you are the only kid for him. Also if I get lost then I'm fucked._

As soon as my hands stopped signing he hugged me, "How did I get lucky to have a sensible sister such as you?"

'Some guy kidnapped me and then you found me' I think.

Alex doesn't actually know what happened to me. How I got the scars down the sides of my neck and that my eyes hadn't always had the unseeing look to them. Alex says that the scars aren't noticeable and that my eyes just look like unfocused green orbs but I can always tell by his voice when he's lying just to make me feel better.

I hear him moving around and start throwing things out onto the floor and our beds, "Ill get everything together and then I'll make sure that i pack you extra clothes. I know you get cold easily."

I smile over at him. One thing that hadn't changed about me as that I get sick way too easily. Alex says he's shocked I haven't gotten the Flu or some other incurable illness. Knock on wood though please.

I find one of the beds, I can never tell which and it never seemed to bother Alex, and I curl under the covers. I close my eyes and with Alex fumbling around and occasionally saying a few sentences, I fall asleep.


	4. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When I woke up the next morning I was met with darkness. I could hear shuffling around the room and knew that Alex was rushing to pack the last-minute stuff. I sat up and clicked my tongue to let him know that I was awake, so as not to scare him.

"Hey! Your up! Dad wants to get an early start so that way we can get to the dam by dark so that way we know where we are," Alex says. I click my tongue in response, not deeming sign language as a necessity at the moment.

I stand and drag my feet, so I don't trip and reach for the familiar feel of my dresser draw, I slide it open and feel for a thick sweater, I can already feel the cold seeping into my pajamas. I grab one and a pair of what I assume must be worn looking jeans. I can't ever tell what color anything is, and Alex usually tells me after I put the clothes on.

I hear the door shut and know that he left to give me some privacy, I hurriedly slip the clothes on and put my socks and shoes on before I shuffle to the door and step out. I can hear Malcolm and Ellie talking together downstairs as they loud things that will be needed. Stomps are heard from my left and I know that somebody is running up the stairs towards me. I hope that it's Alex.

"Come on Talia! We have to get going or else we'll get left behind. Here let me put the bag I packed for you on your back. I put all your thicker clothes inside and that dried fruit we managed to find, also a whistle, for you know, just in case," he jumbles out.

I smile and nod my head in understanding and follow behind Alex, who had grabbed my hand and gently lead me down the stairs. When we reached the bottom step and the front door Malcolm ushered us out and to the jeep that would take us across the bridge.

Alex had told me last night that Carver, Kemp, and Foster would be joining us on the ride and I was already dreading it. Knowing the fact that Carver would rather leave me to die just because I couldn't see or talk. It isn't my fault and he doesn't even know the whole story, or any of it really. It also isn't like I do nothing, I try to help out the community we have going, I'm not letting myself be babied just because of my disability.

I do a lot of baby sitting for the younger kids and I help with gardening, more so planting than tending, and I help cook mass meals when we hit a break through. So, I'm not completely useless, I just don't guard the town or go on search parties like most everybody else does.

Alex helps me get into the jeep and I can already feel the glare from Carver, he's just always scared to say something to Malcolm and afraid to say something in front of Alex. Everybody views Alex as a quiet and introverted teenager, but he isn't, at least not around me. He also gets really outspoken when people say rude things to me or behind my back.

I would describe it as a tame lion until its pride is thrown into the mix, because he seems to think it's okay for people to say things about him but not us. Not the people who seem to actually care for him in the last few years. I also know that he loves to draw, comics is what he calls them, usually when he finishes a seen I will ask him if I could feel it. At first, he was afraid I would judge them, but I wanted to feel the art, and from what I can feel, it's usually sad and depressing, Sometimes angry. I hate that I can't see it for myself.

Malcolm and Ellie get done loading the jeep up and we start off down the road. Nobody knows what our mission is or even that we are going outside the community. I guess it's a good thing, if something goes wrong then it won't be their hopes that get crushed again. The years have been hard on humanity and its trust in other things, but I guess that's okay for now. We can pray and actually carry out the task that can make us for the better.

I feel and hear the engine of the jeep start up and I tense, not ready for the adventure that I was unwillingly brought on but wanted the best for Alex. He deserves to get out of the city and live for the moments that we are allowed out.

I don't know how long we drove or sat in the silence. I don't know what the outside looks like and I couldn't tell you if we crossed the bride yet or if we are in the forest.

What I can tell you though is that I'm cold even though I have a thick sweater and even with me pressed against Alex to steal his body heat I am still cold.

Want to know why?

Because the bastard named Carver has the window down and the harshly cold wind is coming inside the vehicle.

I start to feel my teeth chatter and I think Alex has finally caught on, God love the boy when he gets a girl so that way he isn't completely clueless. "Hey, will you roll up the window, its freezing Carver?" Alex asks.

I hear a scoff, "I want the window down and besides it isn't all that cold."

I roll my eyes and sign to Alex, " _Just physically reach over him and roll the window up_."

"What the fuck did she say?" Carver growls, assuming it was something bad.

"Language!" I hear Ellie say.

Alex huffed, "She just asked to roll the window up."

I guess that's what I said, maybe not those words exactly but whatever.

"No," Carver says.

Before the conversation turned into an argument Malcolm stopped the jeep and yelled, "We're here! Everybody out and grab your things. We have to hike from here."

Alex opens the door and pulls me out behind him. We get our back packs on and we head for the trail, not wanting to get caught back with the older adults and have to make conversation. I feel Alex turn his head, "Carver is a little ways behind us and then its Malcolm, Ellie, Kemp, and Foster." I nod and he continues to lead me down the trail, telling me where roots are and when to step to the side for rocks and what not.

 _What time is it?_ I sign.

"Around noon or so, I think we are ahead of everyone by quite a bit-," his voice gets cut off and he lets go of my hand, my way of being guided. I make a strangled noise as I trip and fall down a short slope.

After what feels like forever I hear a gun shot and foliage shaking as if something was running through it. There was a short silence and I hear Malcolm's voice but not his words.

I try to get up but realize that I am stuck and then even if I could get up I don't know how to reach my family. Suddenly everything is silence and then I hear one clear word.

"Go!" This voice I didn't recognize but I knew what it meant, your trespassing and are not welcome at this property.

I yank at what was holding me down and click my tongue in annoyance when it doesn't come loose, what is holding me? I start to panic as I realize my one fear of coming on this journey was coming true, I'm lost and am getting left behind. With no eye sight and no voice to call for help.

I sigh at my situation and slowly calm myself down, I can't panic, not now in this situation. I've been by myself before and I can do it again, even for a little while.

I feel around at what I was stuck on and grab, what I hope is just a tree root, and lift it as best I could and slide my leg out from under it. I stand and start a plan in my head, I can probably find my way back if I back track the way I came. I turn and feel at the slow and make my way to the top of it.

I click my tongue in aggravation as I realize I don't know all the twists and turns to get back to the bridge.

I freeze as I hear a growl and silently scream as a rough hand grabs my arm, "Go means GO!" and am shoved onto the ground. I try to feel vibrations in the ground for any sign that the person has moved but come unsuccessful.

I frantically move my fingers, _I am sorry, I am lost. I fell as Alex got startled._

I can feel the surprise that comes off of the person, "You sign?"

 _I don't have a voice and I can't see,_ I explain.

The hand grabs me again and drags me I stumble to my feet and trip over whatever was blocking my path, I hit the ground once again and sigh, I can already tell what kind of experience this will be.

As I am grabbed once again, I can the person is being gentler with they way he leads me down the path. It takes awhile before we pause in our walking, "Stay."

Where the fuck am I going to go? I think.

I shiver as the wind blows harder than it was before. I can feel that my jeans are wet and that my sweater is ruined by the way I can pull things out of it and how it clings to my skin. My teeth chatter as I wait, and I nervously tap my fingers against my stomach as my unseeing eyes look around.

I hear leaves crunching as something walks towards me. As it gets closer I hear a lot more steps than is possible for one person. I stay still as the sounds stop and heavy breathing is heard, I can't tell if they are communicating or just observing, but it's making me uncomfortable.

 _Hello?_ I sign unsurely, not really knowing what to do or say to make the awkward stop.

"Hello," it's the voice that shouted earlier at my family. I blink and unconsciously curl in on myself, to seem smaller than what I am., "Why are you still here? I told you humans to go."

 _I-I got lost and separated from my family when, well I don't know when, but I just want to go home. I can't see, and I can't talk, and-and I don't know how to get back or even where I am,_ I sign fast, maybe too fast for them to understand and I hope they can understand. I don't even know the people that I am talking to. I don't know how they understand me and my signing, but I'm thanking whatever god doesn't hate me that they at least know sign.

I also notice the fact that he says humans and not you people.

I shiver again as the wind picks up, I can feel the heated discussion that is going on around me and I hope they make a decision soon.

"I vote we kill her," it's the voice that had found me. I frown, I've come too far in life to be killed because my family and I were to blind to see the consequences.

 _I vote we don't,_ I sign bitterly. I hear a scoffing breathless laugh and I don't know what to make of it. I soon hear another pair of foot steps and sigh as more people join us.

For me it's silent for a few minutes but I can assume that a conversation is going on without my knowing, which is fine, but I would appreciate to know what's going to happened to me.

 _I wouldn't prefer it, but you are really this undecided about it you can face me in the direction of my home and I'll figure out how to walk that way,_ I wouldn't like it but if it's my only way of surviving then I'd do it.

It's the first voice again, "Is that what you think of us? That we'd leave you to die? Just because we look like animals or pets to you doesn't mean we are uncivilized."

I shrug, _To be fair, I can't see you and I can't talk to you and I don't know you. Life is cruel, and I know that all too well, but I have made it this far and I can make it a bit further and get myself home if I have too._

There is silence for a moment and then a gentle, softer hand grabs me and begins to pull me forward, "Lets get you warmed up dear." It's a quieter voice, different from the others, and if I took a gander, female.

I drag my feet forward and carefully walk behind her, I feel the others following, not going against her words.

Go girl power!

Soon we reach wherever she was taking me and says, "Step up onto the rock." I do as she says and climb up and immediately feel the heat of the fire, I skootch forward until I know that I am dangerously close to the fire, but at the moment I don't care. I was warm, and I could feel a smile on my face as the heat dethawed me.

Behind and around me I feel others gathering and sitting and some hoots. I feel a body press onto one side of me and another body onto the other side of me. The body heat radiating off made me even warmer and I sigh in content.

A hand grabs my hand and puts something that feels like a ball into my hands, "Fruit." I feel it and unseeingly look at it before I hold it out again, I didn't feel right taking somebody else's food. If they have real fruit and not canned, then they had to work hard to where they had gotten in life and I didn't want to intrude.

I hear a growl, "What not good enough to eat our food now human."

I shake my head and sign, _You worked hard to get your food, and it is unfair that I eat it and I didn't work for it._

I can feel the surprise from the circle, a new voice quieter, "Is that how the human colony is? They make the handicapped work even though it's hard for them?"

I know the voice didn't mean anything by it, but I hate being called handicap, because I'm not, I don't allow myself to be, _I'm not handicapped, and the work is only hard if I don't learn how to do it. The task might take me longer, but I am just as capable as a seeing person._

I hear the scoffing breathless laughs again.

"My name is Maurice and I am sorry, didn't mean anything by the question," Maurice says. Finally, I can put a name to a voice.

I wave at Maurice and sign back, _Already forgiven. I just wasn't always blind and nonverbal, but I have had to get used to it. My name is Talia._

"Beautiful name Talia, I am Cornelia, if don't mind me asking, how did become blind?"

I rapidly shake my head no as the years I spent with _**Him**_ start flashing through my brain, I hated reliving it and dragging the past forward, _Too many bad memories of a bad person._

I shrink in on myself as the memories come anyways and I start to silently shake. I hear a few faint hoots and then sense a new body behind me. I hear welcoming hoots and concerned hoots. The person squeezes in next to me and the person on my right. The new person grabs my hand and rapidly shakes it in greeting.

After they let go I can feel rapid hand movements. "Ash, she can sign but you have to talk for her to hear your response," a new female says.

"Yes mom. Hi I'm Ash. Why did that guy shoot me? Where did you humans come from? I've never seen a human before, why are you so much smaller than me? What did you come for? Where they your family? If so why did they-," this Ash person is way too energetic for apparently just getting shot.

"Ash, slow down, you are overwhelming her," his, what I think anyways, mom's voice.

 _One of them shot you? Can you describe for me? I came from the city over the bridge and why do you guys keep saying human, aren't you human too? They were my family, well some of them were but not all of them,_ I sign.

For a long moment there was a long pause and I can feel suspense in the air, I could probably cut through it with a knife.

It's the first voice again, "You don't know? We are apes and after the man made Simian Flu our genetics were modified."


	5. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I sat in silence as I looked at nothing. Why had nobody told me about the apes? Unless if people assumed and thought I knew.

 _Okay,_ I signed, not really knowing what to say or do. I wasn't scared because if I was going to be hurt then it would have already happened. They gave me food, warmth, and have actually talked to me so I guess they were alright.

"That's all you have to say? Is okay?" the first voice.

I shrug, _Well I'm in the middle of nowhere and blind and I haven't been hurt by you guys so, yes okay._

There were hoots of laughter and the fruit that I had given back was shoved into my hand again, it's the second voice, "Here, you need to eat."

I turned the fruit in my hand and sighed, I nod and take a bite and if I could moan I would have. It was a very sweet peach and it only takes me a few bites to finish it off and lick the juice off my hands. I hear clacks of wood bowls and cups if I was to guess. A wood object was pushed into my hand and I furrow my brows in confusion.

"Water," second voice.

"I think we all need to say our names," Cornelia cuts in, "She knows me, Maurice, and Ash."

As names were said I remember Caesar, who I believe is in charge and Cornelia's husband, Blue Eyes, their son. Rocket and Tinker, Ash's parents. Luca, who she believed was in charge of protection of the colony.

And Koba, who seemed to hate me and everything I did. It seems he was also the one that found me.

I sip my water and scoot even closer to the fire, it was getting colder and thoughts of Alex started to arise in my mind. The kid seemed to always know what I needed and wanted before I even knew. It also helped when he found a new book that he would read to me. I sighed and curled in further on myself.

"We need to decide where she will sleep," Caesar says, I hear hoots and Ash shouts, "She can share my bed with me!" I internally laugh at his enthusiasm, even if he was just shot by a human.

There was silence for a moment and in that moment, I hate that I don't have sight more than ever, "Well if it's okay with Rocket and Tinker, then she can stay with Ash," Caesar says.

More silence and I can feel heated glares being thrown around, then Cornelia speaks up, "Alright dear, it looks like Koba will take you to his hut for the night."

I nod, it's not like I could do anything else besides just go along with it.

I hear a growl and the words, "Keep up." Before he takes off.

I stay sitting, because one, I'm on a raised platform and two, how the fuck am I supposed to know where his freaking hut is? I've never been here before and everything is foreign to me at this point in time.

Suddenly an arm grabs me and yanks me down the rough stone steps and stops at the bottom for me to get my feet under me before continuing to drag me to where ever I'm going to stay the night. It feels like forever before we reach our destination, but it was more like a few short minutes of me tripping over objects and stumbling through being dragged.

Koba seems to pause and I hear a door creak open and he pulls me through, "Bed is at the back of hut, where it is warmer. You can sleep there, and I sleep on other side of hut."

I shake my head quickly, I didn't want to steal his bed and I quickly sign this to him.

He grunts, "Just take bed and I will take other side of hut."

I click my tongue and shake my head again, _I take other side of hut, just push me in the direction._

I'm nudged towards, what I hope, is the other side of the hut. When I land on something soft I know that I was taking his bed and I turn and glare at him. I hope that it looks threatening but when he starts that breathless laughter I know that it doesn't even phase him in the slightest.

I huff out air and sit criss cross applesauce style and feel around with my hands, trying to guess what I was sitting on. Fuzzy and circular in shape, I could tell that it was warm and large, large enough to share.

 _We can share, that way I'm not taking your bed completely away from you,_ I sign. Hesitation sits in the air and I realize that I probably make him uncomfortable, _Or not it was just an idea._

I feel his body plop down beside me and I turn my head towards him, "We can share."

I feel him shift to lay down and I lay down and curl into a ball beside him, to keep warm and not take up too much space. I close my eyes and as the events of the day come down on me I drift off to sleep.

And pray that none of my nightmares come.

 **Koba**

As I lay on my nest staring at the human girl next to me I think of the bad humans that I have encountered in the past and compare them to her. Even the ones from today were just creating me more bad experiences of them. But her, Talia, I realize isn't like them from the short time she has been around me.

She didn't even know that we were apes. She also didn't seem shocked about it.

It doesn't take long for her to go to sleep, she was curled tightly into a ball and at the edge of my nest. I sit up and move to the outside of the nest, I slowly nudge her towards the back wall and I lay on the other side of her, towards the door. This human was messing with my feelings about humans.

I didn't like it.

I didn't like how I was starting to like her as a person and I didn't like how I was getting mad about her being left behind. I didn't like how I was viewing her in a different light and I didn't like how I wasn't wanting to kill her anymore.

Because in past experience, humans are bad. They didn't think of anybody but themselves. They didn't care how their experiments hurt me and how I felt like I was alone for a better part of my life.

As I laid there and stared at her, I couldn't help but feel like she knew my pain. Like the pain and loneliness and the hatred were hers too. But it also wasn't hers. Because she seems to like being around most people and doing her fair share of work and hates taking what isn't hers.

I growl lowly at myself, I couldn't be thinking this. I had to think for the better of the colony. Right now, all I could think of was getting rid of the humans.

I decided that tomorrow I would scout the human colony. Then I would report back to Caesar and we would take action and we would be rid of the human girl. Talia. Her name is pretty, it kind of rolls off the tongue.

Why can't I stop thinking? I need to stop thinking, because she'll be gone soon, and I won't see her again. I shouldn't want to see her again. Because she is a human and I am an ape. Apes don't like humans and humans don't like apes.

I huff and face the door so as not to see her, and I slowly drift off to sleep.

 **So, I want feedback guys, am I doing good?**

 **Do you like Talia? Am I portraying characters like how they should be portrayed? Is my writing style okayish? Because I want to get better at writing, but I don't know if I'm doing okay or getting better or not.**

 **So, if you could tell me then that's great!**


	6. Chapter 4

I wake up but I don't open my eyes. I like to imagine that when I open them I'll be able to see colors, shapes, images. But I know that won't ever be possible. I feel the soft bed under me and realize that Koba isn't beside me anymore.

I sit up in alarm as I realize I'm not at my home where I share a room with Alex. I'm in a village in the middle of the woods surrounded by apes. I stand and shuffle towards what I hope is the door. I glide my hand across the wall until I feel the doorway and I walk through it.

I can feel the sun's warmth as I stand outside the shelter. I can hear apes move around and greeting each other in hoots. I continue to shuffle forward, but I get barreled into by an ape. They hug me all excitedly and hoot and pant in the ape language and I just giggle silently.

 _I can't understand, remember?_ I sign.

The ape pulls me up and when they start talking, I know it to be Ash, "Come on, come on! You were about to miss breakfast and Koba said he wouldn't wake you up so I volunteered to but I saw you come out of his hut and so I tackled you!"

I let Ash pull me along to the raised rock platform where I could feel eyes watching me from their seats. Ash sets my hand on the rock and lets me pull myself up before making me sit next to him. I feel Ash move around and reach for things before he pushes a bowl in my hand, "Breakfast, there are fruits and a bit of meat."

 _I still feel bad about taking food I didn't work for,_ I sign nervously. I know they took slight offense when I said this last time.

Ash, I assume Ash, pushes the bowl back into my hands, "Eat! And then I can ask more questions right? Cause I am going to be stuck in this camp until my shoulder is better."

I nod, _Of course you can ask questions! I'll answer the best I can._

"Don't overwhelm her Ash," I hear his mother say.

I hear a grunt, but I ignore it as I cautiously pick up food to stick it in my mouth. As I eat I wish Alex was here. He would usually talk to me as we would eat.

I feel an ape brush against my shoulder and my body sways backward and I kind of flail to stay forward when a large ape hand grabs my upper arm. I hear Koba's gruff voice as he mutters, "Careful." I nod in thanks towards him and scoot a bit forward to sit on the rock better.

I finish my food and I can feel that most of the apes on the rock leave to go do who knows what around the village. Or colony as I should say. It isn't hard to get impressed with how well the apes are doing. The world was essentially reborn and us humans are doing poorly. We are barely making it through daily life with canned food and dried meat that has to be rationed for weeks on end and the apes have a whole farming system down!

I feel a warm hand grab mine and tug gently, Ash's voice rings through, "Come come. I'll walk us down to the river that way we can clean your fur a bit. You look a mess."

 _Gee thanks for the vote of confidence. I wonder how you're not surrounded by girls,_ I sign. He guides me off the rock, but I stumble towards the end and fall flat on my butt on the ground. I sign as my tail bone starts to ache. Ash pulls me up, "Okay?"

I nod and sign, _Yeah happens all the time. Especially when I am in a new space. Such as your home here or the woods, where there is a trip hazard everywhere._

Ash hoots quietly but doesn't say anything as he continues to pull me. We move slowly and I thank him inside my head. Soon enough I hear moving water and I pause. The last time I heard water was when I was escaping **His** house. I shiver as memories come up, not all of my time spent with **Him** was bad. I know that's weird to say, but it's true. **He** wasn't always cruel, **He** would have moments where he would act like my overprotective older brother and then there were moments where **He** would act like it mattered what I wanted. There was also a flip side to **Him**. It's hard to describe because there would be nothing I could do to stop it but there also wasn't an apparent reason that **He** would turn dark and evil.

Ash gently tugs me again and it brings me out of the recesses of my mind, "Where go?"

I smile and shake my head, no need for him to worry. He leads me down to the water's edge after a huff from me not answering and he brings my hand down to the water. It feels so smooth and clean. A lot of the water in the city has gone stagnant.

I bring both my hands down to it and cup them to bring water up to clean my face.

"Water is shallow here, mom says humans like to bathe," he says.

I nod in thanks and take my shoes off to dip them in the water, for a chilly day the water actually feels pretty good. Before I think twice I quickly take off my shirt and pants before sliding all the way into the water and dunk under to wet my hair and clean all the dirt out of it. I scrub at it for a few long seconds before coming back up for air. I yank my fingers through my hair, untangling it into long strands. Alex usually helps me as I can't see if any are still there or if it is even clean, but this will have to do for now. I run my hands over my body and scrub he dried mud off as I go. I stand and look towards Ash, _better?_

"No more mud! Why is your hair so long? Why do you have no fur? Why do humans bathe and not groom themselves?" he asks in rapid fire succession.

I silently giggle and look, what I hope, is in his direction before I start signing, _I have never really cut my hair so it is long and I don't have fur because it isn't in my genetic code and humans bathe because we don't do a good enough job while grooming._

I get out of the water and put my clothes on, so the wind doesn't make me cold for long. After I was done Ash grabs me again, "I have a basket so we can go pick fruits from the bushes along the side of camp before we go back in. That way my mom doesn't think I completely left camp. She gets scary."

I let him lead me and before long he has me kneel down next to a bush and opens my hand palm upward and I feel him put a small object in it, "This is what the berry feels like, it is kind of sour but we mix it with the other fruits to make it taste better. In the cold season it helps as a belly filler."

Ash then guides my hand to the actual bush, I move my hand until I feel more of the berries and I pick them and hold them out to him, "Good! Fast learner you are."

I grin and we go to work and before long we have a basket overflowing with the berries. It makes me feel good that I could actually help the apes, even if it could never compare to their kindness of helping me. My smile fades as I think of my family. Do they miss me? Do they even realize I'm gone? Does Alex realize how much easier life is without having to take care of me?


	7. Chapter 5

**So just a reminder as I through in something new. Authors notes will be in bold, sign language will be in** _ **italics**_ **, and now when I write in memories they will be in** **underlining** **.**

We finish collecting berries and Ash leads me back towards his home.

 _What time of day is it?_ I sign.

"Early afternoon," he says as he stumbles through his words. I can tell that talking with me all day has taken a toll on him as his voice tires. I feel bad because I can't see when he signs and that forces him to talk, as I know he isn't used to talking on a regular basis.

 _If you are tired of talking I don't mind sitting in silence. I can tell that you aren't used to it,_ I sign.

I hear him huff, "It is good practice.'

 _It may be good practice, but you can still be tired. That is allowed. And besides, I wouldn't mind silence for a while anyway. When we were picking berries, you made me laugh quite a bit with your jokes,_ I sign to comfort him, _I haven't laughed that much here lately._

The anniversary of me escaping from the cabin and Alex finding me is coming up. I have a vague memory of my birthday so Alex decided we would just celebrate when he found me and took me home.

Ash leads me around the to what I believe is the back of the colony's homes to a different raised rock, "We sun bath here." I nod as I crawl up and lay next to him on the warm rock. I close my eyes and silently hum as I feel the sun already drying me still wet hair.

I didn't realize I was falling into sleep until I was remembering the day Alex found me.

I step out of the house with the broom in my hand. I was going to use it as a seeing eye cane, so I didn't trip or fall down a cliff I heard Him talking about. It was chilly outside, but I couldn't tell you if that was because it was nighttime or if it was from the weather changing. I couldn't tell you if the trees were green or bare.

My steps were slow going and I was cautious, probably overly so. Who could blame me though? I hadn't been outside god knows how long and I had been by myself for what I think to be a year. That was hard to think about because the first week was my biggest struggle. I didn't know how to cook, still don't, and I couldn't find anything. He had moved all the furniture again before he left so I was in an unfamiliar environment and I had finally found all the canned goods in His room. Under the bed.

Like what the actual hell.

My feet finally hit pavement, I think its pavement, after 14,568 Mississippi. Too late to turn back now, I wouldn't know how to get back and besides there wasn't any food left. I continue to count as I make my way down the street. When He took me, I know it took a while to even drive out here to His house. So, I know it will take me forever to even make it back into town.

It took days, not forever.

Alex met me by putting his hand on my shoulder and my elbow going back into his face. Not my best moment.

"Ah! Ouch, that hurts. You have a swing don't you?" he asks.

 _I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,_ I sign, completely forgetting that he probably doesn't know sign.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. Nothing seriously hurt besides my nose," he says, "I'm Alex, I thought I would come introduce myself as you're a new face."

I nod in response, not use to interacting with people after all this time. It's weird to hear anyone else besides Him talk to me. It felt nice, to finally talk to another human. Someone who probably wasn't going to hurt me like He did.

It wasn't long after that moment that Alex took me home and didn't really let Malcolm have a word in edge wise about letting me stay. I think Malcolm was just happy to see Alex so excited over something again. So, I stayed, wasn't really given any other option, and I started to think that life can actually get better.

It didn't feel like Ash and I had been napping long before we were woken up by another ape. I couldn't tell who it was because they didn't say anything, must have just signed to Ash.

"Time for food, the hunt has brought back an elk," Ash says before leading me to the same rock we ate from last night and this morning. I sit next to him as he directed me and feel another ape sit beside me. They really don't know what personal space is, but that's okay, not like I care cause Alex sometimes forgets what personal space is.

I was passed food and a cup of water like this morning and last night and I feel around in the bowl to find something to eat.

"You two looked cozy on the rock a few minutes ago," Cornelia huffs out in her whispery voice. As I had my hands full I let Ash talk to her.

"I had taken Talia down to the river so she could clean herself. Mother told me that humans can't groom themselves, but she was a mess," Ash says, his voice doesn't sound strained like it did earlier. I huff at him in offense.

 _Not my fault I was covered in mud and leaves and who knows what else,_ I sign. I feel fingers grip my hair and lift it.

"Hair is very soft and very dark, like ape hair," Koba breathes out.

My hair is black and from not being cut goes down to below my waist, at least that was the color when I last seen it. I also know that my eyes are a very vibrant green, Alex says it is hard to tell that I am blind, because the way my eyes look at someone when I look in their direction. The only sign that I can't see is that my eyes don't focus, dilate is what that means.

I nod, _I need to get it cut, too long. Gets in way and difficult to take care of._

Koba grunts at me, "Keep hair."

I glance at him, he sends me a lot of mixed signals, whether he likes me or not. I thought we were getting along last night in his hut, but I guess he re-thought his decision. I shrug at him, not making an outright yes or no answer.

Now was the perfect time to ask a particular question I had on my mind though.

 _When will I be able to go back to the humans? Not that I haven't appreciated everything, I just miss my family and I don't want to overstay my welcome,_ I sign.

There was a long moment of silence before Caesar's strong and sure voice reaches over the fire to my ears.

"Tomorrow. We ride to the human city and demand they stay on their side of the bridge."

I blink and think to myself, yeah, that's going to blow over well all right.


End file.
